Ottawa – Ottawa area students have a message for their family and friends from coast to coast to coast: “Come celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary with us in 2017!”

As part of a city-wide student postcard writing initiative, the Ottawa 2017 Bureau and Mayor Jim Watson, in collaboration with lead partner CIBC, are pleased to welcome Canada Post and the Canada Post Community Foundation as programming partners for Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations in the nation’s capital.

In collaboration with Ottawa 2017, Canada Post has printed and delivered more than 45,000 postcards to Ottawa’s four local school boards: the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’est de l’Ontario, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board. A grant from the Canada Post Community Foundation will support mailing costs.

Students from Grade 3 to 6, inclusively, will be receiving the postcards this month and, as an in-class project, they will be writing personalized messages inviting relatives and friends living elsewhere in Canada to take part in the celebrations in Ottawa next year.

“We’re proud to welcome Canada Post, a national corporation that’s been connecting Canadians for generations, as an Ottawa 2017 partner. This postcard initiative is a great way to engage young Canadians and build excitement for our country’s sesquicentennial celebrations,” said Mayor Jim Watson.

“We are pleased to be part of this great initiative. We’re hoping to deliver these beautiful hand-written invitations from Ottawa students to Canadians right across the country,” said Susan Margles, Vice-President, Government Relations and Policy at Canada Post and a Trustee with the Canada Post Community Foundation.

“The Ottawa 2017 program was developed to inspire Canadian youth and encourage them to get involved in the celebrations. With Canada Post’s valuable support, this is an additional way of engaging young citizens and inspiring them for the future,” said Guy Laflamme, Executive Director of the Ottawa 2017 Bureau.

Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations will offer Canadians and visitors from around the world an exceptional and memorable year of high-caliber experiences while bringing a record number of visitors to Ottawa in 2017 to celebrate this important milestone for our country.

Ottawa 2017 thanks its lead partner CIBC, premier partner Bell, the Government of Ontario (www.ontario.ca/150 #ontario150) and the Government of Canada (www.canada.ca/150 #canada150) for their contributions in helping to deliver twelve full months of bold events, immersive experiences and all-out celebrations.